Kinghorn motorcycle ace Keo Walker going for British title this weekend

Former Balwearie High School pupil Keo, 17, who reaches up to 165mph on his Triumph Street triple 765, is in a head-to-head fight for the title with English rider Ben Tolliday, as the two young aces square off at the Kent circuit.

Keo’s dad Clint, 48, said: “Ben is three points ahead of Keo going into this final meeting, number eight. Keo has won seven of 13 races so far – one was cancelled.

"He’s done really well. And it's a really tough field that he's in amongst. There's a lot of fast riders, and a lot of more experienced riders. So there are guys that have been riding in that class for four or five years and Keo’s really only been riding that bike for a couple of years. And he’s progressed really well since we went onto the bigger bike.

"He was leading this year’s championship for most of the season, but at Oulton Park at the last meeting, in the first race he had an issue where his airbag went off under his leathers. It's like a safety airbag.

"And he was really struggling to be able to ride the bike. He still managed to finish the race in fourth. Keo then won the last race, so he only came away from it with a three-point deficit.

"Going to the last round, he really just needs to beat the other boy in both races. And he could come away with that British Supersport Cup Championship, which would be a massive achievement for us as a family.”

If Keo does manage to win the two races this weekend – which will be staged over 12 laps and 16 laps on Saturday and Sunday respectively – it will vindicate the tremendous commitment which Clint, mum Debbie and his 25-year-old brother Ty, has towards his racing.

This season has seen the family travel around to the various venues – also including Knockhill, Donington Park, Oulton Park and Snetterton – in a truck with sleeping capacity, to watch Keo, who is one of the youngest competitors in a series which features racers aged 16 and over.

Clint, who works night shifts in his job as a a production manager at Diageo (wife Debbie is a production operator at the same place), added: “It’s a really nice way for us to spend time with our kids, as well as doing a sport and a hobby that we all enjoy.

"You definitely wouldn't be able to get your kids to spend as much time as that with you at 17 and 25. If you weren't really doing something like that which kept you all focused and all doing the same sort of thing.

"I work a constant night shift, because it suited our lifestyle a little bit better. So I finish on a Friday morning, and then that is me until a Monday night.

"Most of our holidays are used for going to the racing, so we don't really get much time to have a normal summer holiday away abroad somewhere.

"We use most of our days off to go and spend at the race track and travelling.

"Racing is something I've really, really liked since I was a kid. Keo and Ty both started quite young on mini motors. Ty kind of phased away from it but Keo's kept it going.

"And it's worked out really well, because Keo's a really good rider, he's not really got much fear. He's got a lot of confidence, and Ty's really meticulous with maintaining the bike and looking after it.”

Clint revealed that Keo, who is working as an electrician having finished a Mechanical Engineering course at Fife College, is currently waiting to get an apprenticeship as a mechanical engineer.

The family face significant financial challenges to fund Keo’s racing pursuit, which can cost around £70,000 for the year.

"It’s a huge amount of money that it costs to be able to do it at this level,” Clint said.

"We can't do it without sponsors, so a big thanks to them and all our family and friends who support us as well.

"A lot of the family give us money towards fuel and tyres and things like that.

"Keo has got a really good social media following now. I've got nearly 6,000 followers on Facebook, so we can kind of promote sponsors on his social media pages.”

To help Keo with sponsorship, please contact Clint on 07762 357325 or via Facebook or Instagram.